


A Flower You, Dear

by Vanilleroks



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, One Shot, Romance, flowershop au, well kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:33:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14774963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanilleroks/pseuds/Vanilleroks
Summary: The story of an awkward cashier and a handsome customer that leaves behind merchandise.





	A Flower You, Dear

**Author's Note:**

> This was an adaptation of A Message For You, a one-shot comic on Tapas by Piapb. Please take a moment to read the original. It was adorable and I'm literally in love with it. 
> 
> https://tapas.io/series/Short-stories-by-PIAPB

Akira Kurusu tied his work apron on, clocking in for the day. He had decided to work part time at the flower shop in the mall to help pay for living expenses. His parents had told him not to strain himself, but he was sure that working at the shop wouldn’t be too hard. It was just flowers.

A customer walked in, looking around at the flower selection. He was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform, but it wasn’t one that Akira recognized. His hair was a darker shade of blue, and his body was relatively slim. Once he turned around, Akira could see his grey eyes. Overall, the boy was what modern day society would consider beautiful, and Akira couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Until the boy noticed him staring. Then, he tore his eyes away and pretended to look busy, writing scribbles on a notepad. He was sure his boss had noticed, but she didn’t say anything about it. After browsing the shop for a few more minutes, the customer approached him. 

“Hello,” the customer read his nametag, “Akira. I would like a dozen of those marbled tulips, please.” 

“The purple ones? We also have pink and white ones, or yellow and orange if you prefer,” Akira rushed, trying not to stare as much this time around. 

“Which one do you prefer?” The customer asked, looking at Akira with an amused expression. 

“Me?” Akira hummed, thinking about the flowers. “I guess I like the orange and yellow ones. They’re more intense than the other ones, which I kind of like.” 

“Then I’ll take a dozen of the orange and yellow ones,” the customer smiled.

Akira, who was now smiling because of the customer’s smile, nodded and excused himself before going to the back to wrap up the dozen. Once they were presentable, he brought them back to the customer and typed the order into the computer. As soon as the total popped up on screen, the customer handed him the money and began to walk away.

“Have a great day!” Akira called after him.

“You, too!” He replied as he opened the door and walked out.

After a dreamy sigh, Akira picked up his notepad and ripped off the page with the scribbles. When he set it down, he noticed a singular marbled tulip on the counter space. He gently picked it up, examining it before looking up at the door. The poor guy must have lost one of the dozen, which sucked because the marbled tulips are kind of expensive. 

Akira ran out to see if he could catch the customer, but he couldn’t find him in the sea of mall patrons. So, he went back inside, put the tulip by the cash register, and prayed that the guy would come back to reclaim the tulip before it died.

* * * 

Unfortunately, it took a week for him to return. 

“Oh,” Akira perked up when he entered, “You left behind a marbled tulip last time. I’ll give you a small discount for your purchase today.”

Akira smiled kindly, but the customer seemed to be disappointed by his words. He had no idea why. After all, he hadn’t said anything particularly rude or hurtful.

“I see…” The customer said, looking around at the flowers. 

He browsed for a while before approaching Akira. This time, he had a small notepad in his hand. He read the contents of it before sliding it back into his pocket.

“May I have a dozen pink peonies this time?” He asked.

“Of course, sir,” Akira went to the flowers, wrapping them up before typing it into the computer. “Since you come here so often, would you like to sign up for free membership with the shop? You’ll get exclusive discounts and a free gift on Valentine’s Day.”

“Sounds wonderful,” the customer pulled his wallet out of his pocket, ready to pay.

“Great. Can I get your email?” Akira clicked on the membership tab, ready to type.

“Rather forward, aren’t you?” The customer chuckled, giving Akira his email address before he could respond.

“And your name?” 

“Yusuke Kitagawa.”

Akira typed it into the computer, glad to have a name to associate with the face now. After clicking a few confirmation buttons, Yusuke was officially a member.

“You’re all signed up. Let’s get you checked out. That’ll be ¥675,” Akira smiled.

That was 200 less yen than the original price, which wasn’t much really, but that was all he could give without getting in trouble. Yusuke didn’t seem bothered by it though. He gracefully dropped the coins into the palm of Akira’s hand before turning on his heel.

“Please come again,” Akira called as he put the money in the register.

Yusuke didn’t respond. Instead, he casually waved before walking out. Akira watched him go, the owner chuckling to herself.

“Alright, Kurusu. Back to work,” she shook her head, a fond smile playing on her lips. 

That was when Akira noticed that Yusuke had left behind one of the peonies. Leaving a flower behind once could be considered a coincidence, but this was the second time in a row. The only explanation was that this was a deliberate action. What else was he supposed to think?

* * *

It was another week and a half before Yusuke returned to the shop, immediately walking up to Akira. 

“Hello again,” Akira greeted, “What can I get you today?” 

“A dozen gardenias, please.” 

“You got it,”

Akira got the gardenias ready, not sure if he should mention anything about the flowers that Yusuke had been leaving behind. He didn’t want to just point it out and make Yusuke awkward about it, but he was also painfully curious about the reasoning behind the gesture. 

“Gardenias, huh?” He began, trying to be casual.

“Excuse me?” Yusuke seemed surprised that Akira had started a conversation.

“Gardenias. They’re really pretty.”

“Indeed,” Yusuke replied, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly. 

“They’re just so… White…” 

Akira mentally slammed his head against the counter, screaming at himself. It was obvious that they were white, and white flowers weren’t all that rare. He didn’t doubt that Yusuke thought he was an idiot now. If there was a way to rewind time, he would do it in a heartbeat to spare himself the embarrassment. 

“Yeah,” Yusuke chuckled, pulling out his wallet.

“Right,” Akira cleared his throat, “That’ll be ¥6500.” 

Yusuke paid him, turning and walking away. Each time he did that seemed to be more graceful than the last, and Akira found himself a bit mesmerized by it. 

“Oh,” the owner said as the door closed, “he left one on the counter.”

“Yeah,” Akira picked up the gardenia, rolling it with his pointer finger and his thumb, “he does that.”

“Does he?” 

“Mmh,” he confirmed, his eyes still on the flower.

The owner was silent for a few moments before laughing. Startled by the sudden outburst, Akira looked at her, clearly confused. She shook her head, wiping away a stray tear. 

“Look up the meaning of the flowers he’s left. They all have meanings on their own, you know.”

With that, the owner said she was going on break before walking out, cackling to herself. It was honestly kind of creepy since Akira had never really seen her laugh before. 

Putting that aside, he got a pen and notepad, browsing the internet. He mindlessly wrote down the flower names and their meanings, thinking about more pressing things like the fact that he hadn’t finished his English assignment. That was due the next morning, and he hadn’t even started it. 

Once he looked down at the notepad, his entire face turned red.

_Marbled tulips: you’ve got beautiful eyes_  
_Peony (pink): I’m too shy to say my feelings_  
_Gardenia: Secret love_

* * *

It took a frustrating two weeks for Yusuke to return to the flower shop. Akira watched him walk to the rose section, looking at a small piece of paper and cross referencing it with the selection at the shop. Five minutes later, he walked up to the counter, and Akira found himself more nervous than anything else. 

“I’ll take a dozen purple roses today, if I may.” 

“Of course,” Akira said gingerly, trying to act normal.

He got the dozen roses, waiting for Yusuke to look away before sliding a different flower in the fix. He wrapped up the bouquet, being careful to hide the orange flower from view. Considering how much it contrasted with the purple roses, it was a difficult task. 

“Your total comes out to ¥5469.68 today,” he informed Yusuke, his hands getting clammy. 

Yusuke counted out his money before handing it to Akira, who waited until the money was in the register before handing over the bouquet. Yusuke appeared to be upset by how long it took to receive the flowers, hesitating before stepping away. Because of the delay, he wasn’t able to leave behind a rose, but Akira didn’t want Yusuke to notice the extra flower before he left the store.

“Have a great day!” Akira called out.

“To you as well,” came Yusuke’s response.

Akira watched him walk out, biting his lip anxiously. Through the glass of the shop, he could see Yusuke look at the flowers. When he noticed the orange flower, he turned quickly, looking at Akira through the glass with a flustered expression. Akira waved, a goofy smile on his face. He had never smiled so much in his life, but it made sense in this moment.

On the notepad by the computer was a single note in sloppy handwriting:

_Orange dahlias: used for an extravagant declaration of love._


End file.
